Is this amount of food normal? Where is it all going?

[sweetmeatsandale]

DS is 22 months. He weighs around 20lb. He is in 9-12 clothes. 6-9 month vests.

He's tiny. But it's a gigantic amount of food. An example -

5, yes 5, brioche rolls. A banana. A yogurt. A handful of strawberries.

Spaghetti B for lunch, a child's portion but a bigger child. I'd expect a 9 year old to be satisfied with it. He isn't - He will then have seconds and polish the lot off. I wouldn't offer the seconds but he looks around frantically and moans if others are still eating.

His nursery have reported having to always give a second helping since he's very quick and takes other children's food who are sat there looking into space! We ran into trouble a few weeks back because he quickly snatched and gulped down a sausage (meat). He's veggie.

For dinner he'd have something lighter, a sandwich with some crisps. A piece of fruit. A slice of cheese. But recently I've just been giving him a portion of my food since he isn't satisfied with something light after a heavy nursery 'tea'.

Other foods for breakfast include two scrambled eggs on toast, nursery often say he has a slice of marmalade toast to keep him satisfied.

Lots of fruit, lots of cheese. He likes anything and everything.

Last night he ate, yes he ate the whole thing, a plate of nacho cheese with jalapeños on top! Didn't bat an eyelid at the spice. Even dipped the nacho in the salsa

He will eat sushi. He will eat a roast (his favourite). He will eat and eat and eat and I don't think he

I kit don't know where all of this is going. I know some children 'burn things off' easily but his seems so extreme. I would be overeating if I consumed what he does.

Philomena I thought that too, my DGD has CF and until she was put on creons to enable her to digest fat she was a skinny little thing.

OK, so he is eating loads, has been for months, isn't having a growth spurt (I think you would be seeing it by now) is eating plenty of protein.

But that much food and no weight gain, and he is tiny anyway, is a cause for concern.

You need to go back to your GP.

I know that they will not take lack of weight gain very seriously at first. the marker is apparently that they have to stop growing vertically for a period of time before there is considered to be a problem. But I think as this is not your first visit, you can push for a referral.

I certainly think diabeties is a concern and others have raised other possibilities.

My 23 month old eats masses too and everyone comments on it. He's tall for his age but slim. He'd probably eat the nachos too he's eaten spicy stuff and loves it. Hardly refuses anything. Will want everything from the adult plates at restaurants as well as his own.

He wants second breakfast after the school run and will eat loads of snack at toddlers and still have a massive lunch. His stomach is massive before bath 🤦🏻‍♀️😂

However, he occasionally surprises and will have had enough or not eat all the food on his plate. I'd be worried if I felt he was completely bottomless!

Cut the treats... Brioche rolls and crisps are not needed.

Include more vegetables and not so much fruit as fruit has alot of sugar.

Nursery food portions wont be huge portions, especially in the toddler room.
Is he at nursery every day?
Maybe he isnt getting enough food / variety there.

He is very little for his age and im surprised the nursery havent spoke to you about referring him to a specialist, have they got a SENCO there? Sometimes it is alot wuicker to get a referral through the Senco than through your own gp

Bahhhh DS1 is now 29 and still skinny! How's your DGD?

Why do people keep critiquing his diet? The sugar/ lack of protein/ number of brioches/ lack of veg isnt the issue at all. The issue is he isn’t gaining weight. It’s a simple issue, and it doesn’t take particular food. It should just be happening. He’s a similar weight to my 3 month old. I can’t believe people are rabbiting on about sugar and not appreciating that.

I’ve just checked my daughters red book and at 22m and 9kg he’s on the 0 percentile. Yes it’s a girls chart, and I don’t know his height, but I feel like I’m the only one pretty horrified by this

Has his thyroid been checked? It works fine in most children but thyroid issues are also not unheard of in toddlers and babies.

Definitely not worms picked up from creche? I would give him worm tablets and if he’s still eating like that a week later, make an app with your gp

I'd get him checked out with GP but you're getting a lot of unwarranted judgement about his size - my almost 2 year old is about 24 pounds, she is following her charts perfectly though and moved up through the percentiles- she was just tiny at birth. If you start life at a few pounds growing to 20 lbs is a lot of growth!

He was 7lb 8oz at birth

At that size/weight I'd start feeding him meat.

HE isn't veggie, he's 2. You are.

But how is meat going to help him put on weight?

I'll be making an appointment to see our GP today, thanks all.

Forgot to mention he's also breastfed which in theory should help children recognise better when they're full. There is a lot of evidence on this, I'll find a few sources when I have a few minutes

DS doesn't really eat much sugar daily, apart from the fruit. Those brioche are a treat mostly although I'll be the first to admit he often has quite a bit of crap food in his diet! Although that should make him gain weight, even so

My first thought was possible diabetes but I didn't think of coeliac disease since the typical and very well known symptoms is complete lack of appetite and dislike to foods. And lethargy, which DS certainly isn't.

Here he is a week ago - Ironically trying to break into my breakfast He is extremely petite in height but no way skinny, he looks very much in proportion for his very small height

Its not about his weight - its about his weight gain in proportion to what he is eating is off

Its quite obviously a protein issue OP. The sausage incident says it all!

You mention heaps of carbs (spaghetti, brioche, bread in a sandwich) that do not give you a satiated 'full' feeling for very long. Fruit - again more sugar/carbs and water. You only mention one slice of cheese and a yoghurt. Obviously that's all you've chosen to write here, we don't know what his actual intake of protein is, but I think it's worth looking at, e.g.:

Babybel or small cheese snacks
Protein
Beans/pulses in with every meal
Boiled eggs for snacks or eggs in meals

Ignore the word 'protein' in my list at the bottom - editing error haha!

Oh for the love of god can someone explain how protein is going to make him gain weight?!

Are you petite, op?

Could it be hyperthyroidism?

Those brioche are a treat mostly although I'll be the first to admit he often has quite a bit of crap food in his diet!

^^

Dunno mate. Maybe don't let him eat 5? Give him scrambled eggs instead?

manag Not particularly so - I'm 5'3, athletic build naturally with a bit of extra timber nowadays - Still very time though despite my newfound love for the wrong foods.

DH is 6'3... Normal build. Never been petite.

My grandfathers on both sides were jockeys. My nan is 5'0

manag Not sure why you feel the need to be so rude

It was a one off. He's usually only allowed one as a treat type of snack a few times a week

He constantly eats things like boiled eggs, scrambled eggs on toast, tinned baked beans, sausage and mash.

I could go on. He eats whatever is put in front of him all the same and usually requests more of whatever is put down in front of him too

Well if he isnt gaining weight on crap, specifically piles of sugar which is a significant cause of weight gain then him eating eggs wont change that.

I would definitely see the dr. That amount of food is ridiculous. You couldn't not gain weight eating that lot

Has he been wormed?

‘I could go on. He eats whatever is put in front of him all the same and usually requests more of whatever is put down in front of him too’

^ again without being rude, do you ever say no to this request? I think there’s 2 separate issues here, 1- he’s eating far too much and it’s not showing regards to weight and 2- his diet in general and his need for more.

You need a paediatrician. I’d be concerned about metabolic and endocrine issues (as the parent of a child with both)

DT2 has Ketotic hypoglycaemia- his body burns through food super fast and then his blood sugar drops and he starts burning off fat and muscle and producing ketones. Ever smelt anything strange on his breath? Very difficult to tell the difference between diabetes and issues like this without tests.

He’s very cute!